What is attendance like at Benton Park?

Attendance at Benton Park is better than the National Average
National Attendance Award

Attendance and Absence

Schools are legally required to work along side the Local Authority to promote the importance of regular school  attendance. It is expected schools will monitor and share absence details with Local Authorities should legal proceedings be considered. Pupils’ attendance is monitored and parents of those who fail to attend the required time may face prosecution.

At Benton Park we believe that good attendance is important; the more a child is in school the better the chance they have in reaching their potential. School will challenge attendance and lateness.
Attendance Policy

If your child is absent from school:

• Contact the school before 9:30am .
• Please give the reason for absence and the day you expect your child will return to school .

Pupil absence request form

Punctuality

In each class the teacher takes a register.  The register is taken twice a day.   If your child is late for school after the register has been closed your child is marked as late after registration.  This often results as lost learning and stress for the child as they arrive and they have to catch up with missed learning. The  Local Authority recognise this as an absent mark.  Sustained lateness can  result in prosecution so we ask parents who are having difficulty with morning routines to speak to one of our Safeguarding Leads.

How do schools work out attendance?

Schools count each day as 2 sessions (AM & PM) Your child has to attend 10 full session (5 days, morning and afternoon) each week to achieve 100% attendance.  If your child has a half day absence they would have 90% for that week. One day absence would be 80%. 

Why is attendance important?

A child at 90% attendance throughout their school career will have missed a full year of schooling by the end of Year 9.

A child at 80% attendance will have missed a year of schooling by the end of Year 4.

There is a clear link between good attendance and good outcomes. We want your children to do well and gain the most out of school. For that they need to be here.

Attendance and Outcomes

How families can help...

• Make sure you arrive to school on time. Good punctuality is essential for your child and allows the staff team to deliver teaching and learning without interruptions. No child enjoys arriving late at school.
• Avoid taking holidays during term time. Holidays count as absence. These holidays are only authorised in exceptional circumstances and only at the discretion of Head Teachers.
• School does reserve the right to refer cases to the Local Authority to ask for a Fixed Penalty Notice or Holiday Warning Letter. Local Authority Guidance
• Arrange non-urgent medical and dental appointments after school. If the appointment has to be in school hours then the pupil must attend part of that day. They should not have a full day off to attend an appointment.
• If your child is refusing to come to school encourage your child to explain the reasons for this to you.
• Engage with school as and when school contacts you regarding attendance-whether that be to provide explanations for absence or attend meetings when attendance has become an issue

What is unauthorised absence?

Unauthorised absence is used when no reason has been given for the absence or the reason given is not acceptable.  For example keeping a child off school to go shopping or going to the caravan for a long weekend.

I need to visit family abroad in an emergency

School recognises that many of its community has family abroad. They may need extended leave of absence to return home to visit family that they haven't seen for some time. If you feel that this may apply to you please fill in an absence request form and ask to speak to either Claire Scott (FSW) or Nick Shepherd (DHT) 

I need to take my child out of school during term-time

To comply with the safeguarding process parents/carers must complete an absence form available from the office. This is regardless of reason or duration of time off required. This should be completed in advance of any leave. Please outline the reasons for absence.

Why have I received an Attendance letter?

Your child may have fallen to a level of attendance that concerns the school. This is anything under 96%. The school in the first instance will wish to explore the reasons behind non attendance and look to remove those barriers. 

 But my child has a health condition

 We are here to support ALL families even those with medical conditions.  We also work closely with medical staff to help parents access the right support to help their child. If your child requires time off for genuine medical reasons please share relevant information with staff.

 What are parenting contracts?

 A parenting contract is a formal written  agreement between a home, school and the Local Authority.  Parenting contracts are intended to give you support to get the most out of school for your child. 

Can I be fined for taking holidays?

Yes. This is not a decision that school will take lightly however school does reserve the right to refer cases to the Local Authority to consider Legal Action in the form of Holiday Warning Letter or a Fixed Penalty Notice. The Fixed Penalty Notice takes the form of a £80 fine which increases to £160 if not paid within 21 days. This fine is applicable to both each child in the family and each parent. Government Guidance. 

How does this work and why does school fine?

School has to refer a specific case to the Local Authority-however the fine may be issued as a result of a number of holidays taken over one year or holidays taken over a number of years. 

2 weeks holiday in term time every year with no other absences means that your child:

• Can only ever achieve 95% attendance
• Will miss about two terms in a school career

I believe that new Guidance was recently published by the DFE

Yes that is right. new statutory guidance was released by the Government in August 2024. this page, the information and documentation reflect this guidance which we have also summerised below.

 

Statutory Expectations

The Department for Education has implemented updated legal guidance concerning school attendance, which sets out compulsory expectations. The key points of this legislation are as follows:

1. Attendance: All students are required to attend school regularly. Absences will only be excused for valid reasons such as illness, medical appointments, or pre-approved exceptional circumstances
2. Punctuality: It is a parent/carer's responsibility to ensure a child attends school on time, poor punctuality will affect the child's school attendance and quality of education
3. Attendance monitoring: The school will closely monitor attendance records. Parents will be contacted regarding any concerning patterns of absences, and meetings may be scheduled to discuss solutions to improve attendance

Unauthorised term time leave: Parents/carers have no legal right to remove a child from education. The local authority may issue a Penalty Notice of up to £160 per child, per parent/carer for unauthorised term time leave